aliveOne

aliveOnealiveOne in Chicago's Lincoln Park has craft beer behind the bar, live funk, an all-live jukebox, and old-school DJs. Get funky in Chicago with Party Earth.ChicagoUnited States41.931501-87.648821

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Party Earth Review
A hipster haven in Lincoln Park, aliveOne draws fans with its all-live music jukebox, regular band and DJ nights, and a rotation of specials that keep the microbrew-centric taps within easy monetary reach.
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aliveOne
Review

The Scene

aliveOne in Chicago&#x27;s Lincoln Park has craft beer behind the bar, live funk, an all-live jukebox, and old-school DJs. Get funky in Chicago with Party Earth.

Lincoln Park, Chicago –

A hipster haven in Lincoln Park, aliveOne draws fans with its all-live music jukebox, regular band and DJ nights, and a rotation of specials that keep the microbrew-centric taps within easy monetary reach.

Tuesday’s $2 craft night alone entices a varied mix of beer lovers, when even a few scattered dudes in polos can be spotted along the two-tops lining one side of the narrow room, or on stools tucked against the velvet-curtained front windows.

Stacks of concert bootleg CDs line the shelves next to big photos of classic rock artists and portraits of the likes of Marley and Lennon, while above the bar a trippy American flag shimmers with golden fabric.

As the evening unfolds, plaid-shirted locals sip draft Gumball Head and pick rock anthems off the jukebox – from Dylan to Cash to Phish – as a TV above the bar plays concert DVDs.

Past the lone pool table, a back room fills with dreadlocked music lovers and lumberjack lookalikes who keep their whistles wet at the smaller second bar as they take in the DJs spinning soul and old-school hip-hop, the regular funk-fusion band, or the special performances, like bluegrass, that pop in once or twice a month.

As in much of Lincoln Park, a rowdier crowd of barhoppers regularly crashes in on the weekends, but with its varied shows and specials, any night at aliveOne promises lots of fun(k).

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Tip from Jonah:

If you’re Facebook friends with aliveOne, show up during your birthday month and you can score a $25 bar tab for you and your friends.

Crowd

Beer lovers of every stripe early in the evening, artsy types, album bootleggers, live music lovers, and funky DePaul and Columbia students later on, and a rowdier collegiate set on the weekends, 20s to late 30s.

Entertainment / Music

Live bands most Wednesdays and Thursdays. DJs spin soul on Tuesdays and usually a collection of funk and old-school hip-hop on the weekends. All-live jukebox packed with classic rock and country. Pool table. Couple TVs playing concert DVDs and the occasional big game.

Food / Miscellaneous

No food, but outside grub welcome. Several party packages for renting the back room available any night (25-30 person minimum).

Prices

What to Wear / Dress Code

Hot Nights / When to Go

Tuesdays to get in on the $2 craft pint special, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the live band, or Fridays and Saturdays for a packed house and different music in the front (rock) and back (DJ-driven soul and hip-hop).

Close By

Jake’s Pub (2932 North Clark Street) is a cozy neighborhood dive with a much larger beer selection, a well-worn pool table, and its own solidly stocked jukebox.

aliveOne
User Reviews

I've been going to AliveOne for 2 years--ever since I turned 21. When I was in college, it was a fun bar to go to because it was nearby school and also had a more eclectic, hipster feel than many of the other Lincoln Park hubs. Once I graduated, what kept me coming back was the live music on Monday nights and the $2 draft beers on Tuesdays!
I love the local beers, Revolution and Goose Island are always on tap at AliveOne, and the young Chicago, artsy crowd that's always in attendance. When I have company in town, AliveOne is always on our to do list!

I last visited aliveOne June 14th, a Friday. My family was in town for my college graduation, and I want my sister to get a taste of my neighborhood—Lakeview/Lincoln Park—, so I took her to aliveOne. Back where I am from B-Dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) and the local hole in the wall are the places to be on the weekend; no, not much fun, but a way to escape from the week’s misery. So my sister was in for a treat and a shock.
Upon walking into aliveOne I could see the look of confusion and amazement in my sister’s gaze as she scanned the crowded room. By my perception, it was filled with young professionals, some still in their attire from office, laughing and closely congregated with friends, associates, and strangers. The atmosphere was welcoming upfront, but the backroom was where the real fun was happening. In the back, old and new school R&B/Hip-Hop was playing to my sister’s, and everyone else’s, satisfaction. Intermingling gyrations, spins, and shameless prancing about was the theme of the backroom—no judgment allowed. Everyone was there to have a good time.
I, myself, love to dance, but if that is not your thing aliveOne offers more. A continuous special of $5 Jameson Shots and $3 PBR Bottles, pool table, and warm atmosphere…what more can you ask for?

Chicago's bar scene is wide and varied. Dark, colorful, light, intimate, loud - you name it. aliveOne achieves what few other corner bars can. It finds a way to be home-like. It's warm, the music is just loud enough so the drunk woman down the bar is drowned down and the beautiful man sitting next to you doesn't wrinkle shouting. The dancing is voluntary and spontaneous. The pool is ongoing. The beer selection is wide enough to keep interest, but not so wide that it sticks its nose up at you. It is certainly a college crowd filling the place most nights. A dive bar. Perfect for meeting new folks pressure-free.

The aliveOne experience begins like any other college dive bar experience. A handful of females look suspiciously underage, it's lit dimly and wood paneling lines the walls.
Yet don't be fooled. As the night continues carefree twenty-something year olds begin swarming the bar. The c-shaped structure allows for easy access to the bar, tables, and helps aid social interactions.
When the back room opens the dancing begins. They often have live music that is fun. It's a nice alternative to the over-saturation of mainstream djs.
I definitely say hit this place up on a Saturday or Friday. Especially if your looking to meet new people

If you have lived in the Lincoln Park or Wrigley are for over a year now, you have probably heard of the little gem called AliveOne.
Alive One offeres a great combination of music and alcohol selections. The front bar offers a fully stocked bar and 16 different beers on tap, including some of the best micro-brews Chicago has to offer.
Tuesdays seem to be one of the best nights to go due to the $2 beer special they have.
Alive One is separated into three sections, the front room which is calmly lit with candles and is often crowded depending on what night your there, the pool table area where there is always a game going on, and lastly the back room area, where it is a completely different scene.
The backroom has a fully stocked bar with eight different drafts, presents an alternative vibe and atmosphere to complement the front bar, and is known as the spot to see Chicago’s best up and coming bands or for all out dance parties, the backroom, is Lincoln Park’s best kept secret.
Even though at times it can have that hipster vibe, Alive One is a great bar to check out and go to if your looking to go out. Not too crowded but always a good amount of people there.

Just steps away from DePaul's campus stands aliveOne, an island in the polo shirt ocean that is the Lincoln Avenue bar strip. An all-live jukebox, funk-based decorations, and a diverse beer selection keeps the hipsters and locals coming back in an atmosphere that is too clean to be a dive bar yet too accessible to be a lounge.
Candle-lit tables line the often-crowded front room before giving way to a pool table flanked by leather couches. It's easy to miss the door in the very back of the room which leads to an intimate middle room, often snagged by a lucky group of friends looking to catch up before venturing into the back bar, where a predominantly bearded crowd takes in the night's offerings of live funk music on Wednesday or Thursday nights. The weekend gives way to a more collegiate and yuppie clientele who dance the night away to aliveOne's house DJ's eclectic set.
While the weekend offers the most pressing crowds, Tuesday nights are their locally-popular $2 pint night where all drafts are -you guessed it - $2. A Chicago-centric draft list keeps the friendly bartenders pumping out pints of Three Floyd's, Goose Island and Metropolitan beers while yuppies, hipsters and short skirts brush elbows.
aliveOne plays host to an array of scenes and crowds on any given night, making it the area's most unique bar, giving you the opportunity to dance to Michael Jackson, sip on the newest craft beer, and then drink it under a portrait of John Lennon while the Arcade Fire plays overhead.

One of the hundreds of bars in the Lakeview - Lincoln Park area of Chicago, it attracts a different crowd that your typical Wrigleyville type bar. It still is filled with people who have been in college in the last 5 years, but its like your at a greek reunion which is a common feeling at many bars in the area. The atmosphere is very dark and trendy with good indie music, but pretty small at first glance. However, I was pleasantly surprised when after an hour of being in the bar, I went to go to the bathroom and walked right into a dance floor and second bar room that is hidden from the front area. This has more of the typical top 40 music and people reliving the college glory days.
aliveOne is a good bar to end your night at because it offers the tame and relaxed front area where you can sit and have a beer before heading home, while also providing the dance floor and party atmosphere. Therefore your whole group can be satisfied with how the night ended regardless of what they are in the mood for.